Kia’s first hybrid on UK sale is also part of the popular ‘crossover’ class of compact SUVs. That puts the Niro into two of Europe’s biggest growth areas.

It has a lightweight aluminium bonnet, tailgate and front bumper rail, plus a lightweight high-voltage lithium-ion battery under the back seats. Electricity drives a 43bhp motor which assists a 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol engine in turning the front wheels via a six-speed twin-clutch automatic gearbox.

The claimed combined peak outputs are 139bhp and 195lb ft with 88g/km of CO2 and 74.3mpg available in either of the bottom two (of four) trim levels.

The two dearer models, including this First Edition range topper, run on 18in alloys (rather than 16in) and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres.

The Niro is physically smaller than Kia’s Sportage, and not quite as high-riding as you might expect. Its roofline is nearer to a Nissan Pulsar’s than a Qashqai’s. You feel like you’re dropping down into the car.

Inside, you’re greeted by slightly flat and hard standard leather seats, and plenty of space for bigger adults front and back. Rear head room is especially good, and the class-standard boot space is uncompromised by the hybrid powertrain. The dash is both nicely styled and nicely functional, with good materials quality and soft-touch surfaces where they should be.

Refinement on the move is excellent. The default driving mode is Eco which sets up the the accelerator and gearbox for quiet progess and cuts the petrol engine out entirely for noticeable periods on both town and B roads. Switch to Sport for a more urgent initial response to the throttle and more weighty steering, but the choice you’re making is between two flavours of slow.

The First Edition’s bigger 18in wheels and sport tyres hurt real-world economy, which drops to around 48mpg compared to the 55mpg we’ve achieved on mixed roads on a 16in-wheeled Niro. They also don’t help ride or handling. The suspension feels poorly matched to the extra weight of those bigger rims and produces a nobbly ride on anything short of a billiard table surface. The steering, already vague, becomes even woollier on the higher-spec cars. Grip is fine, the handling generally competent but uninspiring.

It’s harder to make as convincing case for this Niro as it is for the mid-spec 2 model. The powertrain seems too weak for a £27,000 car. At under £23k, the cheaper Niro competes with its Qashqai and Kadjar rivals on price and is cheaper than them on insurance and company car tax. Its spec includes touchscreen infotainment with navigation, a DAB radio, part-leather upholstery and a lot more that you don’t get in the equivalent Qashqai.

Kia Niro First Edition

Location: Newcastle-upon-Tyne

On sale: Now

Price: £26,995

Engine: 4cyls inline, 1580cc, Atkinson cycle petrol; plus 43bhp electric motor

Power: 139bhp at 5700rpm (total system output)

Torque: 195lb ft at 1000-2400rpm (total system output, first gear only)

Gearbox: 6-spd twin-clutch automatic

Kerb weight: 1587kg

Top speed: 101mph

0-62mph: 11.1sec

Economy: 64.2mpg (combined)

CO2/tax band: 101g/km, 17%

Rivals : Toyota Prius; Nissan Qashqai